Li Xiaoya ran along the mountain path, heading deeper into the mountains. Running through the mountains with weights on was part of his daily training. He had devised this routine after his swindler master's final scam was exposed: unable to escape, his master had been beaten to death in the street. Li Xiaoya wanted to make sure his legs could save him in an emergency, and this was one reason he had stayed out of serious trouble during his time in Treasure Immortal Town. Everything came down to mending the roof before the rain, so every day, rain or shine, he ran a dozen or so li through these mountains. Though his speed still fell short of a first-rate lightness skill expert's, there were no such experts in a place as small as Treasure Immortal Town. Even its strongest martial artist, the leader of the Heavenly Money Gang, had only third-rate skills. Li Xiaoya had always wanted to find a martial arts master and become his disciple, but there were hardly any experts in Treasure Immortal Town. It was not on any major travel route, either, so none ever passed through. Learning martial arts had remained tucked away at the back of his mind. "Xian'er! What were you thinking?! You actually lost the Five-Element Rainbow Ganoderma?! Do you know how important the Five-Element Rainbow Ganoderma is to our Heavenly Dao Sect? Ah! You're going to be the death of me!"
More than a hundred li from Treasure Immortal Town, a young woman of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight stood on a rock in white palace robes, relentlessly scolding a girl who looked twelve or thirteen and wore the same style of white robes.
The young woman possessed peerless beauty, her skin white as jade. Every movement seemed to exude an otherworldly elegance, as though she had never tasted the smoke and fire of mortal life. Yet the slight furrow of her willow-leaf brows as she scolded the girl now lent her a touch of earthly humanity.
The girl merely kept her head bowed. After a long while, when her master paused, she explained through choked sobs, "M-Master! I only opened the spirit artifact pouch to check because the ganoderma suddenly stopped moving. I never thought he was playing dead! Please punish me, Master!" With that, she raised a breathtakingly beautiful face. Though she looked only twelve or thirteen, a streak of tears marked her exquisitely delicate features, as lovely as carved jade dusted with rouge, stirring an aching tenderness in anyone who saw her.
Seeing the girl like this, the young woman sighed softly. She reached out a jade-white hand and gently wiped away the tears on the girl's face. "Never mind. Punishing you now would do no good. What matters is finding the Five-Element Rainbow Ganoderma!"
"Yes!" the girl answered obediently.
"I'll search this area with my spiritual sense first. The Five-Element Rainbow Ganoderma shouldn't have gone far!" The young woman gently closed her eyes.
"Found him!" Only a few breaths later, the young woman opened her eyes and exclaimed in delight.
"Although the Five-Element Rainbow Ganoderma excels at shadow escape, he still left a trail of disturbed five-element spiritual energy!" she said. Taking the girl by the hand, she shot into the air. In a few flickers, they vanished beyond the horizon.
Could this woman and girl be the fairies of legend? Otherwise, how could they use the art of flight, which only legendary fairies possessed?
Li Xiaoya was feeling thoroughly miserable. He had just finished the food he had obtained from Zhang Dafu over the past few days and had planned to enter town today to find another chance to get something to eat. Yet he had barely stepped into town before seven or eight burly men surrounded him. He recognized their leader, a minor officer of the Heavenly Money Gang named Xu Dagang. He had swindled the man twice before, though that had been a long time ago.
Seeing that the men had him tightly surrounded, Li Xiaoya could find no opening to slip away. He chuckled and said to Xu Dagang, "Hello, Brother Xu! What can I do for you? Could it be that your gang leader wants to see me?"
Hearing Li Xiaoya's guess, Xu Dagang sneered. "Who the hell do you think you are? Don't think you can burst into bloom just because our leader gave you a little sunshine!"
"Then what advice do you have for me, Brother Xu?" Li Xiaoya's heart gave a jolt at those words, and an ominous feeling rose within him.
Xu Dagang folded his arms, his expression dark. "I'm warning you! Don't ever set foot in the Four Directions Inn again! Every time you go, I'll break another part of you!"
Zhang Dafu?! Li Xiaoya smiled bitterly to himself. It seemed that cockroach in the minced meat had really enraged the fat man. Well, a wise man knew better than to suffer a beating that could be avoided. At worst, he would stay away for a while. With that thought, he hurriedly replied, "You're quite right, Brother Xu! I promise I'll never go near Head Innkeeper Zhang's place again!"
"At least you know what's good for you!" Xu Dagang said arrogantly.
"Then I'll be on my way. I'll treat you to a meal sometime, Brother Xu. Heh-heh!" Li Xiaoya gave a dry chuckle and started walking away. He had only taken two steps when one of the burly men shifted his feet and blocked his path.
"Brother Xu! What's the meaning of this?" Li Xiaoya asked with a strained laugh.
"Nothing much! You went to Head Innkeeper Zhang's place last time, so you ought to leave a part behind, shouldn't you? Your right hand will do! That'll teach you to remember!" Xu Dagang said coldly.
"Hey! Brother Xu-"
"Don't listen to his bullshit. Get him!" Before Li Xiaoya could say anything else, Xu Dagang cut him off and charged. He knew all too well how crafty this little brat was. Better not to listen to him-beat him first and talk later.
"Ah! Leader Chang, what brings you here?!" Li Xiaoya suddenly shouted toward the space behind Xu Dagang!
Xu Dagang froze for an instant, then immediately saw through the trick. Without stopping, he continued charging at Li Xiaoya. Unfortunately, although he had not fallen for it, three of his men halted at the shout and looked behind them. There was no one there! In the instant they turned their heads, Li Xiaoya darted past them.
"Idiots! After him!" Xu Dagang cursed furiously. His feet were quick, too: he checked his stride, turned, and rushed after Li Xiaoya, who was already more than a zhang away. The other Heavenly Money Gang members came to their senses and hurried after him as well.
Li Xiaoya had not been running long before he began to regret it. He had gone the wrong way, heading farther into town. There were plenty of Heavenly Money Gang members in there. Even if this was Xu Dagang's private business, the others would probably help if they saw him. Sure enough, after only a short while, the seven or eight men chasing him had grown into a crowd of more than twenty. He would have to take a roundabout route and get out of town first.
Scarface Chen was drinking sullenly in a tavern, seething with anger. That day, he had waited beneath the eaves for more than three double-hours, yet Li Xiaoya had never come out. Finally losing patience, he had sneaked into the house to look for him, only to discover that no adult man lived there at all-just an elderly couple and their two grandsons. At that point, even Scarface Chen knew he had been duped. He swore that once he found the brat, he would take not only his money but his life! Yet despite roaming around town for several days, he had found no sign of Li Xiaoya.